Rome, Jan. 8 - Political and social forces in Italy have announced a new national demonstration against the United States' military attack on Venezuela, and for the release of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to a statement released today.
In a joint call, it is stated that the march will take place next Saturday, January 10, and will proceed through the streets of downtown Rome, from Esquilino Square to the headquarters of the U.S. embassy in the capital.
Among the organizations that launched this initiative are the parties Power to the People, Socialist Homeland, and the Network of Communists; the youth organizations Cambiare Rotta, Student Opposition Alternative (OSA), the Historical Pact of Italy, and the Latin American Progressive Platform.
“Hands off the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela!”, “Stop U.S. imperialism and Zionism!”, and “Freedom for Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores!” are the slogans of this call, which was also joined by the social organizations ARCI and CRED, the Palestinian Student Movement, and the Association La Villetta per Cuba, among others.
“We take to the streets to express our internationalist solidarity with Venezuela,” to denounce the governments supporting the aggression against that nation, against U.S. imperialism, and the colonialist resurgence of the Monroe Doctrine in Latin America, states the document.
“We express our solidarity and closeness with the chavista people and the Bolivarian revolutionary process” and “condemn the U.S. state terrorism that struck that country and kidnapped the legitimate president Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores,” the text adds. On January 5, during a massive demonstration held in this capital, protesters highlighted the importance of expanding protests against the North American imperialist attack on the Bolivarian nation, a violation of international law.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered until late Monday night at Barberini Square, located in the heart of Rome, very close to the U.S. embassy headquarters, which remains heavily protected by security forces.
“We firmly condemn the extension of war as a tool for resolving conflicts between states and the umpteenth and very serious military escalation caused by the Trump government's attack against the Republic of Venezuela and the kidnapping of its president,” they reaffirmed in a proclamation read during the gathering.
Protests against this aggression began in this country last Saturday. During the past weekend, there were marches in major cities such as Rome, Milan, Bologna, Naples, Turin, as well as in Rimini, Cuneo, Salerno, Savona, Imperia, and Empoli, in which thousands of people participated.
